Are you a Kenyon student interested in joining the Wright Lab?
The Wright Lab group in the Kenyon Biology Department is a supportive community of student scientists. We work hard and play hard and love birds, biology, bones, and biomechanics. If you’re interested in joining us, there are a variety of ways to get involved. No experience or prior coursework is needed, and students at all stages of their Kenyon careers are welcome. Please contact Professor Wright if you’re interested in any of these opportunities.
Volunteering/just hanging out
You can start by attending our regular lab meetings, where we discuss recent papers about bird biology and provide constructive criticism of each others’ manuscripts, posters, and talks. You can help out another student on their research project (these vary by semester, but may entail measuring bird bones, dissecting specimens, searching the literature for information about species ecological traits, or helping out with biomechanics experiments with live birds).
Work for pay
Sometimes the lab has funds to pay a student to do lab chores, such as maintaining a dermestid beetle colony to clean bird skeletons.
Do research for Kenyon credit during the semester
Students can get Kenyon credit for research by taking BIOL 385, Research in Biology. For BIOL 385 credit, students are expected to work 8-10 hours/week on an independent research project and, at the end of semester, write a short paper and present their research.
Do research full time in the summer
Students can apply to the Kenyon Summer Science Scholars program to work in the lab full time for 8-10 weeks in the summer. Applications are typically due in late January/early February, and interested students should discuss their proposed research project with their professor well in advance of that. I anticipate supporting at least three Kenyon Summer Science Scholars each summer, so please reach out if you’re interested! Students in the KSSS program receive free housing and a stipend (as of 2023: $4,000).
Research trips to natural history museums
The labgroup visits natural history museum bird collections to collect morphological data for our research, typically during spring break and summer. Active student members of the lab who invest a few hours of their time into learning to identify and measure bird bones may be invited to come on these trips. All travels expenses, including hotel and food, are paid for by research funds. Warning: students who go on these trips often become obsessed with birds and/or museum collections as a result, and return to campus with a tight knit group of similarly obsessed friends.
